Dr. Denise von Herrmann, who became dean in July 2008 after having served as interim dean for 18 months, has accepted the position of Provost at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga. Her last day with Southern Miss will be June 30.

“Dr. von Herrmann has been a true asset to Southern Miss,” declared Provost Dr. Bob Lyman. “She is a professional upon whom I have relied for counsel on matters of curriculum, students, faculty and budgets. While we will miss her, the rise to Provost is a logical career move for her and a wise choice for Oglethorpe University.”

For von Herrmann, the move to Atlanta comes at a time when she has been instrumental in shaping the future of both the College of Arts & Letters as well as the university in general.

She expressed hope that she was instrumental in helping Southern Miss hold fast to its longstanding traditions of quality teaching and research, collegiality, and innovation.

“I believe the next dean of the College will inherit an exceptional faculty and staff, who collectively are committed to the ideal of a traditional liberal arts education that has been adapted to meet the needs of a 21st century world,” she declared. “I can take no credit for their qualification, commitment, and creativity, but I hope that I have managed to lead them in such a way that they have felt supported and valued for all that they do.”

A Georgia native, von Herrmann joined the Southern Miss faculty in 1997 first serving at Southern Miss Gulf Coast before moving to the Hattiesburg campus in 2004.